The Hayashi
Background There once was this lone wanderer, he was full of pride and did everything by his lonesome. Run in with bandits? Not a problem, he'd kill them all. Damsel in distress? No problem, lady was rescued and bedded with a day. Everything was so simple for this one man. But unfortunately for him, Enma, the Monkey King loved a challenge. He surprised the man by flying into view on his golden nimbus and landed an inch from his face. 'Oh great wanderer,' said Enma to the wanderer, 'I have a simple task for you to accomplish: empty this river by sundown or be forever cursed... do you accept? The wanderer was too prideful to ignore a challenge, even if it was something as absurd a task as the one given to him, but he went about it anyway.... and he almost succeeded! By twilight he had the whole river block by rubble and the whole thing was bone dry except for a minuscule trickle. Enma was none to pleased with the scene as the wanderer threw a pebble into the path of the trickle and fulfilled the task. The Monkey King did as was bargain and blessed the man with his abilities and ALL of his best traits... even his tail. The wanderer was understandably upset, he was cursed til the end of his days and so would be his children and their children, the curse a unwanted prize for each generation. One would say that Enma had won the bet. The Hayashi were originally a band of nomads, they roamed the countryside finding work and means of sustenance as they came upon it. Obviously this left little option for any means of survival so they ended up going down what most would assume would be a dark path. Thievery, Spying, Assassination, it was all fair game and made the name of the Clan became more infamous as time went along and a stigma became attached to them and it became a more problematic part of being a Hayashi than the tails they were cursed with. Inner Workings The Clan is split into two different core groups: One revering Enma as some kind of god, the other embracing their human side and focusing on improving their life among other humans. The Priests of Enma and The Envoys of Man are at odds most times but they form two halves of the council that controls what the Clan is today. Elders of course control the main parts of society, but the young are raised early on how best to keep the Clan running smooth. Things like hunting, gathering, and socialization are enforced as best as they can because the analogs (assassination, stealing/pick-pocketing, and spying) are easier to teach after those are mastered. Looks Hayashi look like a melting pot of people and skin tones can vary from dark to deathly pale. Coming from a group of nomads they picked up different blood lines along the way so things like skin tone, hair texture and color, and eye color vary greatly from different parts of the clan. The only major indicator that you're dealing with a Hayashi is their tail but being prehensile, this body part is easy to hide, but it'll always be there since the gene that carries it is a dominant. On the note of the tail, it's never shown out in public unless during special ceremonies. The Hayashi are a clan that are normally looked down upon and they go to extra lengths to hide the one thing that outs them. Not to say that there aren't exceptions to the rule. Some members regularly flaunt the appendage and these people are viewed as heretics, troublemakers, are just plain full of themselves. Clan Trait Enma No Chi - This ability lets the Hayashi channel their birthright and become closer in appearance to Enma. Each version of the gift varies from person to person but most become more agile, but some are known to unlock an ability to manipulate wood and mold nature chakra. Some Hayashi that have managed to master the form can alter how the ability looks while activated, like becoming more gorilla like in shape or infusing the previously spoken wood ability with their new form. Notable Members TBA (Clan Chief - Priest of Enma) TBA (Clan Chief - Envoy of Man) Hayashi Ryo (Kaze's Father) Hayashi Keiko (Kaze's Mom) Hayashi Chiyo and Chiyoko (Kaze's twin sisters)